Everyone wants a website that looks "alive." Animations can make a site feel premium and modern. But there is a thin line between a smooth, professional experience and a messy, slow website that frustrates users.
At Blott, we love animations, but we use them with a "performance-first" mindset. Here is the honest truth about CSS animations.
The Pros: Why We Use CSS Animations
When done right, animations are not just for show. They serve a real purpose in building a high-quality website.
1. Speed and Performance
CSS animations are generally better for performance than using JavaScript or heavy video files. They use the power of the computer's graphics card (GPU). This means the movement is fluid (60 frames per second) and doesn't make the laptop fan start spinning like a jet engine.
2. Guiding the User (Better UX)
Good animations tell the user what to do next. For example, a button that subtly changes color on hover tells the user, "Yes, you can click me." A sidebar that slides in smoothly shows where the new content came from. This makes the site feel intuitive.
3. Professional Feel
Small, "micro-interactions" make your brand look polished. It shows that you care about details. For a big client, these details are often the difference between a "cheap" site and an "enterprise" site.
The Cons: When Animations Become a Problem
This is where most people fail. They add movement just because they can, without thinking about the consequences.
1. Slowing Down the User
The biggest crime in web design is making a user wait for an animation to finish. If your menu takes 2 seconds to slide out, you are wasting people's time. In 2026, people have zero patience. If the site feels slow, they leave.
2. The "Lag" Factor
If you animate the wrong properties (like "margin" or "height"), the browser has to recalculate the whole layout of the page every single frame. This causes "jank" or lag. A laggy animation makes your expensive website look broken and cheap.
3. Motion Sickness and Accessibility
Some people are sensitive to movement on screens. Large, spinning, or zooming animations can actually make them feel sick. If your site isn't built with "Reduced Motion" options, you are ignoring a part of your audience and potentially breaking accessibility laws.
The Blott Standard: How We Do It Right
At Blott, we follow a simple rule: Animation should support the content, not hide it.
- The 300ms Rule: Most of our animations last less than 300 milliseconds. They are quick, snappy, and don't get in the way.
- GPU-Only: We mainly animate "Transform" and "Opacity." These are the only properties that don't force the browser to redraw the whole page, keeping your site lightning fast.
- Purpose over Flash: If an animation doesn't help the user understand the site better, we probably won't add it.
The best website is the one that feels fast and works perfectly. Movement should be the "cherry on top," not the whole cake.
